Dark Past
by Kitsuki
Summary: a little girl has amnesia and gets transported to the future. 12 years later, she goes back through the well on a journey to find herself, find love, and ...kill Naraku.
1. Prologue

**_"Heh, heh, heh…."_** A giant monkey-like creature chuckled as he faced a small bunch of villagers with weapons and farming tools, **_"You'll all die!"_**

"Quickly, we have to get to the forest and hide!" A young teenage girl whispers ushering a group of children out of the village and turns around to see one more girl, "What are you doing? Let's go already!"

"It's going to kill everyone, Tsuki!"

"I'm going to help."

"But Lady Ichiko…" (Ichiko, no Ichigo)

"I am a miko. It is my duty to fight demons." The miko bends down to face the little girl, "You show some promise as a miko. I can sense great power in you. Really strange ones, though." (miko – priestess)

The teenager grabs the 4-year-old girl.

"Quickly, me must get out of here!" She pulls the horror-filled girl toward the forest.

The miko straightens.

"I'm not strong, but I will try to banish the demon. At most drive it away."

Lady Ichiko walks away toward the demon.

+ ~ + ~ + ~ 

The miko walked up to the saru-demon (monkey-demon). The villagers parted to let her pass.

"This is where you will die," the miko took out some scrolls and muttered some unintelligible words.

The spell did not seem to affect the demon very much.

**_"Heh! You think that weak spell will hurt me? A small knife would do better!" _**

"The spells aren't powerful enough!"

The miko tried many more spells.

**_"You are pathetic!" _**__

"It's no use. I don't have enough power to defeat it."

"Then we'll fight! It will not get our children!" A villager said determined.

**_"You dare to oppose me! You'll all die! I'll start with you, miko. Then I'll kill all you weak villagers. I can find  those little children and eat them afterwards."_**

The demon slashed at the miko. The miko quickly closed her eyes clapped her hands together. She muttered something and a transparent emerald-colored barrier appeared expanding away from her to protect the villagers and herself.

**_"What a weak barrier."_** The demon laughed as its paw bounced off the barrier.

The demon pushed itself against the barrier. It struggled for a second then broke through the barrier. The barrier disperses and the demon slashes at the miko. The miko screamed and fell, dead, into a pool of her own blood. The villagers stare in horror. The demon then turns and begins to kill the villagers.

+ ~ + ~ + ~

"Tsuki, she's dead." The little girl paused, "So are a lot of other people."

"Who would 'she' be?"

"Ichiko-sama."

"How do you know that?"

"I felt her aura disappear."

"You what?!"

"Tsuki, the Lady Ichiko said I had miko powers. Maybe I can beat the demon."

"You'll die." Tsuki answered flatly.

"I want to try."

"Oh, go ahead. If you want to die…" Tsuki said sarcastically

"Really? Thanks! Bye." The girl ran out of the forest.

"Hey, wait! I didn't mean it!"

"I'll be back! I promise! And don't cry. Crying is babyish."  She said running off.

Tsuki stared after her. Her eyes filled with tears. Remembering the girl's words, she wiped them from her eyes and tried to not cry.

"You better come back or I'll never forgive you." She said softly.

+ ~ + ~ + ~

The young child stopped to stare as she reached the village. Dead bodies were all over the place. She had sensed them die but had not thought that the sight would be so very horrifying. She felt a bit nauseated. The girl snapped out of her daze when someone screamed and looked at the demon. It was harassing another villager who was cowering on the ground in front of it.

"HEY!"

The demon stopped mid-swipe. He turned in the direction of the sound.

**_"Ah, a young child. You will make a very delicious meal for me. The sweet tender meat of a youngster."_** The demon advanced toward his new prey.

"What are you doing out here?! You're supposed to go with the others!" A villager yelled.

"I'm going to try and kill this demon." Ankoku replied with a determined expression.

"But, you don't…"

"Lady Ichiko taught me some really simple spells and I think I know how to control my own power."

"Power?" One village muttered confused, "Since when has she had power?"

The demon reached the girl and slashed at her. She shut her eyes in concentration and glittering amethyst-colored barrier appeared around her. 

_"Another barrier. This one will break just as easily."_

The demon pounced on the barrier. As he hit the barrier a crackling sound is heard. For a moment it seemed the demon had succeeded in breaking the barrier when the demon was suddenly repelled and he flew through the air. The demon hit the ground rolling.

"Her shield… It prevailed…." A villager nearby said in amazement.

_"You little brat…"_

The young girl's barrier slowly disperses as she loses her concentration. The demon runs at full speed toward the girl. He manages to knock her over with a swipe of his paw, sending her sprawling beside a dead man he had killed earlier.

_"This will end here…"_

The girl slowly gets up and looked at the remaining villagers.

"RUN FOR IT, ALREADY!! TAKE EVERYONE AND RUN! WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR?!" She yelled waving her arms.

The villagers were practically frozen with fear. Bruises began to appear all over the young child's right side.

"IDIOTS! RUN!!! AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE OLDER THAN ME?"

The villagers, finally grasping what she was saying, ran.

_"Foolish little girl. Let them run. I'll get them later. You are dead."_

The girl looked at the dead man at her feet. The man had a bow in his hand and a quiver of arrows on his back. She looked startled for a moment.

"Brother…" She muttered as she looked at the man.

The girl gingerly tool the bow and the quiver of arrows from the dead man without touching him. She took an arrow from the quiver and quickly fit an arrow to the bow with expertise of a practiced archer.

"Heh. You think a puny arrow will even harm me? I'm betting you don't even know how to use it." The demon taunted.

"That's where you're wrong. I'm quite good with the bow and arrow." The young miko said confidently.

"Even so, that arrow isn't going to hurt me."

"Maybe be not not, but if I add a bit of my power to it…" The bow and arrow glowed a steady violet, "… you never know what might happen. The possibilities are dazzling.1"

The saru-demon growled.

**_"It won't be enough!" _**

The demon slashed at the child. The girl let the arrow fly. The arrow hit the paw descending on her and it froze in mid-air.

"Seems like my arrows work quite well."

The young miko quickly picked up put another arrow to the string, ready to fire.

"My hand! It can't move!" The demon cried in a horrified voice then turned on the 4-year-old, "You…"

"This one's for you, Sanshi!" 

The girl took a look at her dead brother sprawled by her feet then turned her attention to the demon and loosed a second arrow. With deadly accuracy, the arrow flew through the air and hit the demon's throat.

**_"NNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"_** The demon screamed, clutching his throat.

A glittering object flew from the demon's neck. The little girl jumped up and neatly caught it in her free hand. (one hand's holding the bow)

"What's this?"

The demon did not reply.

**_"IF I MUST DIE, YOU WILL TOO!" _**He roared in pain, instead.

There was suddenly an explosion. The little girl looking at the object in her hand was blown away. She held on to the unknown object and let go of the bow which had snapped in half from the explosion. The girl crashed to the ground and fell unconscious.

~ + ~ + ~

Meanwhile…

The vilagers, hearing the explosion, turned around to look.

"NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" Tsuki screamed in despair, "YOU PROMISED YOU'D BE BACK!! YOU PROMISED, SIS!!!"

Light from the explosion enveloped the villagers and Tsuki's screams were drowned out.

~ + ~ + ~

"Ugh, where am I?" The girl asked rubbing her head.

She wearily sat up to find a being in a baboon cloak towering over her.

"Where's my Shard, child? Give it to me and I won't hurt you." He said.

"What are you talking about?" The girl asked flopping back down on the ground, too tired to be afraid.

"The Shard of the Jewel I gave to the demon."

"I have no idea as of what you're talking about."

"I can tell you're not lying. Sleep." He commanded softly touching a finger to her forehead, "When you awaken, you shall remember nothing."

The little girl sank into blissful sleep. The demon bent down to search her for the Shard.

"Naraku." Someone behind him softly said.

The demon, Naraku, quickly spun around to face the newcomer.

"Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha's older half-brother."

"What would you be doing to a young human girl?"

"None of your business."

"You lost a Shard. To a human child I might add. I heard everything you said to that little girl. I thought you always managed to hold onto your Shards."

"Grr."

"You will pay for trying to trick me." Sesshoumaru held up his hand.

"That's right. You never trick Master Sesshoumaru. He's going to kill you." A toad-like demon piped up. 

"Shut up, Jaken." Sesshoumaru whacked Jaken.

"Sorry, Master."

"Heh," Sesshoumaru slashed at Naraku with his claws, "Poison Talons!"

Naraku dodged the attack, and then faded into the forest.

"He got away." Sesshoumaru said softly.

"Coward!" Jaken yelled into the forest.

Sesshoumaru looked at the little girl by the well.

"Useless weakling. She couldn't possibly have been able to steal a Shard from Naraku."

Sesshoumaru nudged the girl with his foot. The girl just rolled over and fell into the dry well. Sesshoumaru paid no heed. Humans are weak, pathetic, useless creatures anyway. Why care about one little girl. He leaves with Jaken.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~

A few hours later:

A little girl got up and found herself in a small dry well. 

"Where am I"

Her head felt a bit fuzzy. She noticed a ladder hanging from the top of the well. She started to climb until she noticed something in her hand. It was a small glittering object. It looked like a shard of glass, instead it wasn't a clear color. It was rose-colored. 

"Where'd I get this from?"

Her head was still fuzzy, do she didn't bother to think about it. The little girl put the shard in her pocket and climbed up the ladder. She walked out of the shrine with the well and walked down the stairs. The small child noticed some other kids playing nearby. She walked over to them. 

"Hello."

The other kids rejected and teased her. 

"She's so dirty." One said.

"Look at what she's wearing!" Another said in disgust

The little girl fought to control her temper. A woman noticed her and came over. She picked up the child.

"Hey!" the girl complained.

"What's your name, dear?" The woman asked.

"My name? My name is… Ankoku." The girl answered probing her memory, "Yes, it's Ankoku!"

"Where are your parents?"

"My parents. I don't know. I don't remember. I can't remember!" The little girl says trying to remember.

Ankoku's memories seemed to slowly trickle away until she could find no memories. The poor girl panicked. Her head seemed empty of all things. Ankoku began to cry.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~

  


* * *

1 Quote from "The Realm of the Gods" by Tamora Pierce (Pg.123)


	2. 12 years later

FF.net doesn't accept stars, squigglies, and a whole bunch of stuff anymore! NOOOOO!!! I can't use them in my fic anymore!! I'll be using colons, dashes or nothing at all from now on. (colons were Akiko's idea) Oh, and thank you to all my reviewers! Please keep reviewing. I'll stop updating if you don't...­ Just kidding.  
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I forgot to do the disclaimer last time! So... here it is:  
I do not own Inuyasha, manga nor anime. I did not make up any of the characters except for my beloved Ankoku! I write too many OCs...­ All humor in the fic probably not written by me. I suck at writing funny things. I'm going to have Akiko do that. She didn't do it for this chappie.  
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
Something to remember:  
'Thought speech'  
"ordinary speech"  
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I put some Japanese words in the fic. If you don't know what they mean, the translations are at the very end. I think that's it for now, so I'll just start the story. Actually... I'm starting with a profile of my made-up character.   
Note: she's not in the actual anime nor manga!  
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Character Profile:  
Name: Yonakano Ankoku Darkness of Midnight (last names come first in Japanese)  
Age: around 16  
Birth date: unknown  
Hair: down to waist (when let down); black; usually tied in a ponytail  
Eyes: Black  
Height: 5 Feet 6 Inches; pretty tall for her age  
Weight: 119  
Clothes: a plain one-colored t-shirt with a pair of jeans; dark violet ribbon used to tie hair Personality: usually apathetic around other people; is a bit cruel sometimes; not evil at heart; very intelligent; polite to people nice to her; rude to strangers she doesn't like  
Fighting Style: strategist; fast; not that strong; uses 9 daggers she keeps in sheathes clipped to her belt under her shirt; aiming is very accurate  
Other: an orphan; had amnesia when very young  
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12 years later...

A pretty black-haired teenager awoke with a start, sweating all over.  
'It was just a dream' she thought calming down and looked up at the morning sun through the window next to her small bed, 'What happened in that dream? All I can remember is that it was a nightmare. There was a little girl...'

She kicked off the large blanket she slept under and got up. She got dressed in a black t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans then walked out of her room.

"Ohayo, Ankoku." A man watching television on the couch greeted as the teenager walked past him. Ankoku ignored the man in the living room and walked straight out the door, onto the street. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a rose-colored glittering object and a dark violet ribbon. The girl put the glittering object back in her pocket and used the ribbon to tie her hair into a high ponytail in one fluid motion. As she rounded the corner, a group of teens jumped from various dark corners and trapped her within their circle. 'Another fight. Nearly every single day! This is what I get for living in a bad area of town.' Ankoku thought then asked crossly out loud, "What do you want?!" 

"Just give us your money and we'll let you go." A guy coaxed.

"I don't have any money, so go away. I have other things to do."

"You have money, you just won't give it to us. Hand it over." A teenage girl says, a greedy grin began to appear on her face. She was clearly desperate for money and was probably addicted to drugs or something.

"Shoo, children. I don't have a single penny, so go away." Ankoku said with disinterest. A few people began glaring at Ankoku.

"Liar. We'll just take it off of you then!" A young man says.  
He pounced toward the girl in the center. He'd barely taken a step when he found a dagger pointed an inch from his throat and froze. He stared nervously at the dagger.

"Put one of your dirty little fingers on me and I'll kill you." Ankoku said in a dangerous voice as she glared at him. "I don't give empty threats and I have never hesitated in fulfilling all of my threats.

The boy backs away from the dagger. Ankoku toyed with her dagger, twirling it around in her hand. "We'll get that money from you!" Another man said, greed clouding his logic. "Get her!" Everyone converged together and jumped on the 'poor' girl in the middle. Ankoku punched out the nearest guy then bent down and kicked her leg out in a wide sweeping circle that tripped everyone near and around her. People behind the people who had tripped fell over when they fell over on them and created a domino effect. The result was a tangled mess on the ground. During the confusion, Ankoku managed to escape. By the time the thieves had untangled themselves and gotten up, Ankoku had disappeared.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

At a store: "Konnichiwa! Ankoku-san, you're here!" A teenage girl said cheerfully, dusting off some shelves as Ankoku walked into the door.

"Konnichiwa, Hana-san." Ankoku answered. Hana stopped dusting and put the duster aside. She walked to the counter and began writing something down.

"Oh, yeah. I nearly forgot. Ankoku, Ms. Fukachi wanted to see you."

"What for?" Ankoku asked.

"I dunno."Ankoku walked over to a door in the back of the store.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Inside the boss's office:

(Knock knock)

"Come in." Someone in the room said. Ankoku opened the door and went in.

"Ankoku-chan." A woman sitting at a desk in the room said. "Please sit down. I have something to tell you."

"This is not good..."Ankoku thought as she sat down in a chair opposite Ms. Fukachi, bristling at the title the woman gave her. (chan is usually a suffix for young children)

"I've been watching you work and, unfortunately, I didn't like what I saw..."

"You're firing me." Ankoku interrupted rudely.

"I'm sorry, Ankoku-chan." Ms. Fukachi said in a false sad voice. "Hai. I am."

"I suppose I should be going then." Ankoku said emotionlessly as if she didn't care at all about being fired. She stood up.

"Matte!" Ms. Fukachi suddenly said. Ankoku looked down at her. Ms. Fukachi reached under the desk and took out some money and handed it to Ankoku. "Here's some money." Ankoku debated with herself for a second. She didn't like to be pitied, yet she could certainly use the money.

"Thanks." Ankoku said, finally deciding to take the money.

"You may leave, now." Ms. Fukachi said and Ankoku left.

'This is one seriously bad day.'

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"One bowl of noodle soup." Ankoku told the man at the counter in a half-depressed voice.

"Here you go."

Ankoku paid the man then sat down to eat. She noticed a girl watching at her as she sat down. Ankoku ignored the girl and pretended to not see her, hoping she would go away after a while. She finished her bowl of noodle soup and stood up to leave. The girl watching her also stood up. Ankoku walked outside acting as if she didn't notice anything. As she predicted, the mysterious girl began to follow Ankoku. Ankoku walked out the door then hid herself in a small alley to the left of the small restaurant. As the stalking girl walked out the door, searching the street for Ankoku, Ankoku grabbed her arm and pulled her into valley. She pushed the girl against the alley wall and pinned both her hands to the wall to keep her from escaping. "What do you want?" Ankoku asked crossly. 'A fight in the morning and now a spying girl during lunch. This is a seriously bad day.' She mentally said to herself.

"Uh,­you have a Shikon Shard." The girl said a bit nervously.

"And what would a Shikon Shard be?" Ankoku demanded, seriously pissed. The girl was not only a stalker, but a weirdo, too. Besides, there are no such things as Shikon Shards in this world.

"It's kinda hard to explain,­" The girl said, still nervous.

Ankoku glared and the girl gulped. Ankoku sighed. "Donata desu ka?" Ankoku asked, releasing the girl from the wall. "Oh, gomen nasai. My name is Kagome Higurashi. I'm sorry about stalking you." The girl replied, rubbing her wrists and wringing her hand to restore circulation to her hand. "I didn't think you would see me. And I also wanted to talk to you. You have a shard of the Shikon no Tama."

"Look, Higurashi. I'm currently not in a mood to talk." Ankoku said and began to walk away. "And I don't know what this ...­Shikon Jewel is."

Kagome also started walking out of the alley, satisfied that blood was circulating through her hands again. "Let's just find a place to talk." She said, grabbing Ankoku's hand and dragging her out of the alley. She had apparently not heard Ankoku's last statement. Ankoku stared for a few seconds, being not used to getting dragged around, then tore her hand from Kagome's grasp. "Let's go to my house and talk. I think I can trust you." Kagome said as she walked away, not noticing that she was no longer dragging Ankoku anymore. Ankoku decided to follow. She was curious. Who the hell was this girl and what's the Shikon no Tama? Besides... what harm could come from going to a teenage girl's house?

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;

At the Higurashi Shrine/Sunset Shrine:

"Tadaima! Hey, Mom. I brought someone home with me. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is." Someone in the house answered.

"Arigatou."

Kagome walked into the living room. Ankoku quietly followed.

"Sit." Kagome said, pointing to a chair across from her as she sat down.

A crashing sound is heard from behind a sliding door behind Ankoku. Both girls looked at the door.Ankoku's eyes narrow.

"Excuse me. I'll be right back." Kagome said. She gets up and walks up to the door. She opens the door and walks into the hallway it opened into, then shut the door.

"Inuyasha!" Ankoku hears an exasperated Kagome say, then footsteps.

"Ow..." An unknown boy says, "Why'd you have to say 'sit'?"

"It's your fault you were eavesdropping!" Kagome said, slightly irritated.

"Can I see who it is you brought home?" The unknown boy asks Kagome.

"Wear a hat if you're going to. Otherwise... no." Kagome orders the boy.

"Why...­" The boy began to argue.

"Don't argue with me!" Kagome interrupted.

"Fine." The boy says grudging. Ankoku hears some shuffling then Kagome opens the door behind Ankoku.   
Ankoku turns to look. Kagome walks back into the room. A white-haired guy wearing a baseball cap followed her in. Ankoku stared at the new guy, her eyes following him, her expression unreadable. He was wearing red haori and a modern baseball cap. He looked very odd. Ankoku also sensed something weird from this mysterious boy.

"Oh... um... this is Inuyasha." Kagome introduced "He's a...­ um...­friend. Don't mind him at all. He's...­uh...­ mental..." Inuyasha glares at Kagome.

"He's not a human being." Ankoku suddenly says, finally figuring out what was weird about the guy.

Ankoku suddenly gets up and appears at Inuyasha's side (you know... as in the way Sesshoumaru-sama does it). She pulls his baseball cap off to show a pair of do ears on Inuyasha's head. Kagome stares at Ankoku. "H-How'd you know he wasn't human?" "He didn't feel human. Don't ask how. I just felt it." Ankoku answered. "I've had this odd feeling since I walked though the door."

"Um...­ okay...­" Kagome slowly said, not understanding anything.

"Since he isn't human, what is he?" Ankoku asked in curiosity, speaking as if Inuyasha was an object.

"He's a hanyou, a half-demon." Kagome told Ankoku.

"Just a hanyou, huh?" Ankoku said in a slightly insulting tone.

"You...­" Inuyasha began.

"You have a Shikon Shard...­" Kagome interrupted but stopped.

Inuyasha was sneaking up behind Ankoku. He completely forgot about her insult a few seconds ago.

"Inuyasha! Osuwa...­"

Before Kagome could say 'sit', Ankoku had a dagger pointed at Inuyasha's throat. She glared. Inuyasha backed away from Ankoku.

"Don't touch me." Ankoku threatened, venom practically dripping from her voice. Once Inuyasha was 4 feet away from her, Ankoku put her dagger away without looking. She continued to glare at Inuyasha.

'Okay... this girl is creeping me out. She seriously reminds me of Sesshoumaru.' Inuyasha thought. "Note to self: never, ever piss off this girl"

As I was saying... you have a Shikon Shard. Is that why you could sense that Inuyasha wasn't entirely human and stuff?" Kagome said, trying to change the subject.

"Will someone tell me what this Shikon Shard thing is?" Ankoku asked as she continued to watch Inuyasha.

"It's a shard of a jewel called the Shikon no Tama. It's rose-colored, but, when tainted, it's a sort of purple."

Ankoku reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a glittering object. "You mean this?" She asked, showing the shard to Kagome and watching Inuyasha stare at the shard, greed slowly creeping into his eyes.

"That's the Shard! I sensed it on you when we were in that small restaurant." Kagome told Ankoku, hitting Inuyasha on the head to get him out of his trance. Inuyasha shook his head a bit, then walked outside.

"I've had this since I was a young child. I had amnesia and I woke up in a well." Ankoku said, finally relaxing with the disappearance of Inuyasha.

'A well?!' Kagome thought then asked. "How'd you get amnesia?"

"How do I know? Nobody ever told me. Nobody can tell me." Ankoku said trying to remember for millionth time and getting really frustrated with nothing.

"Why not?" Kagome asked in curiosity.

"Why should I tell you? I barely even know you."

"You can trust me." Kagome reassured Ankoku.

"But I won't."

'She'll be more trusting later on,­ hopefully.' Kagome sighed. "You remember a well?"

"Yeah." Ankoku answered, giving up on trying to remember anything. She seemed to hit a brick wall whenever she tried to remember anything before the well with the ladder.

"We have a well nearby. It can transport some people back in time to the Sengoku Jidai era." Kagome said.   
"The Shikon shards come from that era, but what I don't get is how you got a Shikon Shard when you were a little kid. The Jewel only shattered a few months ago."

"The well can transport you in time?" Ankoku asked thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Kagome answered, confused. "That's what I just said."

"Then maybe the well transported me to 1982 instead of 1997? If I hadn't gone into the well, I'm guessing I would be 5 or 6 years old right now. But... is there really a well like that? Most people wouldn't even consider believing you." Ankoku said. Kagome stared at Ankoku with a confused expression. 'What did she say about 1982 & 1997?'

"It's true alright." Inuyasha says, peaking in though the door. Ankoku glared at him. 'Eavesdropper' She thought.   
"I want to see this well?" Ankoku asks, "You better not be lying."

"Inuyasha. Take Ankoku to go see the Bone-Eater's Well. I'll meet you there later. I have to go do something first."

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

At the well:

Ankoku followed Inuyasha into the mini-shrine. She looked around. Inuyasha just stood to the side, watching her. Ankoku walked down to the rim of the well and peered down.

"Well?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.

"I'm almost positive this is the well I woke up at. It looked bigger when I was younger." Kagome walked in.

"So is this the well?" She asked Ankoku.

"I think it is." Ankoku said, looking around.

"Alright, then. We're going to go through the well tomorrow." Kagome informed the others. "Finally." Inuyasha mutters. Kagome ignores him. "I already packed. Ankoku? Where do you live? Would you like to live here, at our shrine? I talked to my mother already and she said that you could if you wanted to. Of course you could always just come tomorrow morning." "That would be very nice." Ankoku said, surprised at the kind offer.

"Okay, then. You go to your place and get your stuff. Do you have a lot of stuff? 'Cuz if you do, I'll get someone to help you...­" Kagome trailed off, thinking of how she'll get Inuyasha to help Ankoku get her things when he obviously didn't like her at all.

"No. I only have a few possessions. I won't need any help at all." Ankoku answered, daydreaming a bit about living in a decent house again.

"Then you can get your things. Inuyasha? Wait here. I'll go tell Mom you agreed to move in. Bring your dagger, Ankoku. You might need it." Kagome began ordering.

"Let me guess. There are a lot of evil demons there that might try to kill us." Ankoku said as a joke. But... she was horrible at jokes and it just sounded sarcastic.

"How'd you know?" Kagome asked looking at her in surprise.

"It was just a lucky guess." Ankoku answered, masking her surprise.

"Oh! I nearly forgot. Ankoku? Do you have a job? If you do, it would be a problem. You can't just not go to work for a few days." Kagome asked.

"Actually...­ I don't have a job. I just got fired this morning...­" Ankoku said slowly. 'How ironic. I get fired just when I can't go to work...­ Must be fate or destiny to meet Kagome and find this well...­"

"Then let's get going." Kagome ordered as she left the mini-shrine. Ankoku and Inuyasha instinctively followed the order and followed her outside. Once outside, they split up and went in their own separate directions. Ankoku went to her apartment. (got into another fight on the way) Kagome went into the house to help her mother make dinner. Inuyasha went...­ somewhere.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Later:

"You can have this room, Ankoku."

"Arigatou gonzaimasu, Mrs. Higurashi." Ankoku replied with a small polite bow. 'Maybe today isn't such a bad day after all...­' Kagome's mother left her to unpack her things by herself. A little boy ran into her room and an old man peeked into the room. Ankoku, about to take some things out of a bag, turned to look at the two of them. The old man walked into the doorway. "Hiya, Ankoku! My name is Sota. I'm Kagome's little brother." The boy said cheerfully.

"Konnichiwa." Ankoku said to the little boy with a nod. She then directed her attention to the old man. "You are...­?"

"I'm Kagome's grandfather." He answered with a polite nod.

"Nice to meet you." Ankoku said formally. The man looked around the room.

"There was a legend about...­" Kagome's grandfather began.

"Gramps!" Kagome interrupted as she passed the room.

"What?!" He asked innocently. "I was just telling her a story."

"He'll go on forever if you let him." Kagome told Ankoku. Ankoku raised an eyebrow. "We'll be leaving right after dinner."

"Nee-chan, are you going to go through the well again?" Sota asked Kagome.

"Yeah." Kagome answered in a sorta sad voice without looking at him.

"Oh." Sota said a bit unhappily.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

In the mini-shrine (Bone-Eater's Well) after dinner:

"You just jump in to the well, right?" Ankoku asked. She peered into the dark well.

"Ee." Kagome answered.

"Well? Jump in, already." Inuyasha said impatiently and reached over to shove Ankoku into the well. Ankoku, seeing his hand, quickly bent down to dodge the hand. Inuyasha lost his balance and fell over on top of her. Ankoku coolly dumped him into the well.

"HEY!!!" Inuyasha yelled as he fell into the well.

"Don't ever touch me, got that? Next time will hurt a lot more." Ankoku watched Inuyasha fall to the bottom of the well. She expected him to fall and crash onto the ground. To her amazement, he disappeared. Just ceased to exist.

"Nani?!"

"Come on. We gotta go." Kagome said, jumping into the well. Ankoku quickly followed.

===================================================

Japanese Word Translations:  
ohayo - good morning  
konnichiwa - hello  
Hai - yes  
matte - wait  
donata desu ka - who are you?  
gomen nasai - sorry (formal)  
tadaima - I'm home  
haori - traditional Japanese clothing for boys/men.  
osuwa,­ - part of 'osuwari' which means 'sit' (said to dogs only) if you watch Inuyasha, you would know that this word makes Inuyasha fall face-flat on the ground.  
arigatou - thankyou (non-formal)  
arigatou gonzaimasu - thankyou (formal); did I spell it right?   
ee - yes (non-formal)  
nani - what?!  
.........................................................................................

So...­ How was it? Tell me in your review! Review! ...­Onegai?  
(Note: onegai means 'please')

Oh! I nearly forgot. Arigatou, Akiko! Thanks for advertising my fics. You're the best!Again...­ Please review! Onegai, onegai, onegai!!! If you find any typos, tell me!! Okay, I'll stop. Ja ne!


	3. Separation

I'm back! After a VERY long time, I've decided to continue this story. Many facts from the originally story may be off as I haven't seen or read Inuyasha in a long time. I'm also going to decrease my use of Japanese words. It sounds smoother without all the Jap.

Oh, and, I must make a correction. It's not _suka_. It's _soka_ (or maybe _souka_…)

* * *

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Inuyasha. Me owning Inuyasha is analogous Inuyasha hating ramen. Impossible. Ankoku's all I own. She's mine to mold as I please.

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Main Character Profile (revised and truncated)

**Name**: Yonakano, Ankoku

**Age**: 16

**Birthdate**: November 19th; at midnight on a moonless night

**Hair**: down to waist (when let down); black; usually tied in a high ponytail

**Eyes**: Black

**Height**: 5 Feet 6 Inches

**Clothes**: a plain, one-colored t-shirt with a pair of jeans (modern times); dark violet/maroon colored priestess dress (feudal times); dark violet ribbon ties hair.

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**Chapter 3 – Separation**

* * *

"Bye," Ankoku said to her sister as she turned away with everyone. 

"Where will you be going?" Tsuki asked, worried.

Everyone froze. Their head turned back to look at Tsuki. Kirara mewed, surprised. Tsuki stared back bewildered.

"That's a good question…" Ankoku replied, rather sheepishly. Bad memories of how she was ostracized in the village had made her want to leave as soon as possible. She'd forgotten to plan a route in her haste to escape.

"Anywhere, I suppose," Miroku mused.

"Naraku will be the one to come after us once he finds out you have the last Shikon Shard," Inuyasha stated matter-of-factly, "It doesn't really matter where we go.."

"Let's continue going east," Sango decided, looking east towards some mountains, "Kaede's village is in the west and we've never come this far east before. We've only really gone west. I want to do some exploring."

Now with a plan, the group turned as one to continue down the beaten path out of the village.

"Your mother went to the East and came back pregnant with you," Tsuki said softly. Ankoku stopped. Everyone else turned to look at her. "Maybe you can find your father out there."

"Maybe." Ankoku gave the young woman a small wave over her shoulder and continued down the trail. Kirara jumped onto her head.

"You better come back home or I'll never forgive you!" Tsuki yelled as she watched the group disappear into the distance with her long-lost sister.

"You said that last time…" Ankoku muttered. Tsuki's worried face haunted her as she left her a second time. Ankoku felt a bit guilty. Kagome glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Alright!" Kagome said, cheerfully, sensing Ankoku's gloominess. " Mission one, 'Regain Ankoku-chan's memory', accomplished. Mission two, 'Find Naraku'/'Figure out Ankoku's family background', commence!"

"Keep my background out of this. If I ever find my old man, I'm going to beat him up."

* * *

"I've located the last shard we're looking for," A voice devoid of emotion reported. A small girl with a round mirror emerged from the shadows. A man with oily black hair smiled malevolently from where he sat. It was too dark to see anything but his pale face. The flame of the few candles scattered about had dwindled so small, the surroundings were impossible to discern. 

"Good work, Kanna. See to it that you don't lose their trace."

"Of course." The girl melted back into the shadows.

"Soon," Naraku whispered dreamily to himself. His mouth twisted into an evil grin. "Soon…" Soft, but maniacal, laughter followed Kanna as she left.

* * *

"Incoming demons," Ankoku announced, looking up. "Lots of them." 

"Kagura." Inuyasha added, taking a sniff of the air. A strong gust immediately began to blow. The wind howled around them. Everyone instinctively put up a hand to protect their eyes. A red-eyed woman and a white-haired girl with a bright mirror on a large feather appeared in the sky directly above them. A hoard of demons accompanied them, darkening the sky. The sheer amount of demons nearly blocked out all the blue of the sky. Everyone immediately settled into a battle stance. Inuyasha pulled out Tetsusaiga, Kagome nocked an arrow, Sango had her boomerang at the ready, and Miroku's staff was out in front of him. Kirara had reversed into her larger form, hissing at the two in the sky. Shippo... uh... disappeared. Taking the hint that the two newcomers weren't friends, Ankoku pulled out two of her daggers, one per hand.

"You have something our master wants." Kagura said sharply, whipping out a fan. (Oh dear… I've forgotten how those two speak of Naraku…)

"You're blocking my view of the clear blue sky." Ankoku countered sarcastically, flipping blades into her hands.

"The priestess has it," Kanna informed Kagura, "the one with the daggers."

"That's a funny sight," Kagura smirked. "A priestess with daggers…" Kagura swung her fan. A large whirlwind sped toward them. "Aren't daggers usually for thieves?"

Not missing a beat, Inuyasha countered, negating Kagura's wind.

"Kaze no Kizu!"

Kagome loosed an arrow as Ankoku jumped straight up vertically into the air. Spinning in midair, she let fly two daggers, one from each hand. A cry of "Hiraikotsu!" and Sango's oversized boomerang left her hand to spin through the air in a smooth arc. Faced with projectile weapons from three directions, the two demons separated to avoid the attacks. Kagome's arrow managed to scratch Kagura's face. Frowning as her face quickly regenerated, she dived down at Ankoku. The hoard of demons followed, bearing down upon the small group, rushing past Kanna. Ankoku landed gracefully back on the ground and coolly pulled out two more daggers to replace the two daggers she'd thrown.

As Kagura drew near, the air in front of Ankoku shimmered slightly as she suddenly disappeared, leaving Kagura bewildered.

"What the –"

Ankoku reappeared suddenly behind Kagura. As her dagger moved in for the kill, a minor demon snapped at her, causing her to miss her swipe as she avoided the jaws of a deranged demon. Kagura escaped the swarm of demons and watched as the group fought the hoard. Inuyasha and Sango hacked away at the demons with their weapons, the sheer number of demons taking away Sango's boomerang's projectile attributes. Miroku's hand sucked up the demons like a black hole and Kagome picked off demons with her arrows behind Inuyasha, under his protection. Ankoku zipped from place to place, finishing of demons and picking up the daggers that she'd thrown at the beginning in the process. Yells of "Kusanebi" peppered the fight and an angry Kirara leapt around the battle ground, her jaws and sharp claws ripping through the flesh of many a demon.

"How does a mere human move that fast?" Kagura muttered to herself, sending another whirlwind.

"An illusion, "Kanna answered in her usual apathetic tone of voice. Her mirror reflected Ankoku's real movements, which were, even without her illusion, very quick.

"Created through the use of the Shikon Shard?" Kagura asked, watching as dozens of minor demons were ripped to shreds by the violent wind, slightly disappointed that it hadn't even scratched one her actual targets. This time Kanna didn't answer her question. She'd disappeared. Before Kagura would wonder why, she found herself much too close for comfort to a black-eyed girl in purple slashing the air Kanna had previously occupied a second before with very sharp and shiny daggers.

"Retreat!" Kagura yelled. The group she might have been able to handle before, but the addition of another priestess to the group proved too much for her. She made her escape, leaving a particularly powerful parting shot. Leaves, branches and other debris swirled through the air, blinding everyone. Being closest to Kagura, Ankoku got hit the hardest. A large tree branch hit Ankoku in the midsection, sending her over a cliff, unconscious, into the forest below.

"Ankoku!" A voice yelled out as she blacked out. The last image she saw was of a horrified schoolgirl reaching out in vain for her.

* * *

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" (How does Rin address Sesshoumaru, again?) 

Sesshoumaru turned as Rin called for his attention.

"There's something in the river!"

Something purple floated down the river.

* * *

As promised, Ankoku meets Sesshoumari. At the VERY end, but still.

You think my writing style's changed after these years? Review and tell me whether or not you like it and whether or not you want me to continue this. I've got little motivation right now. If you'd like some other fic continued, please say so.

I'm thinking about bringing this story out of hiatus. But, school's killing me, so I really shouldn't. Then again, since when have I ever done what I should do?


End file.
